Water tube boiler



G. H. DANIELS WATER TUBE BOILER Aug. 16, 1932.

Filed Feb. 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 62501276 H .Damels EIER W ATTORNEY Aug. 16, 1932. G. DANIELS WATER TUBE BOI LER Filed Feb. 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 o o o o o 0 0 0 0 ow owwo wm 0 o INVENTOR Geor e 1']. Dame/s ATTORNEY Aug. 16, 1932. G. H. DANIELS WATER TUBE BOILER Filed Feb. 14, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet. 3

T u r INVENTOR Geoz qe Hdpanlc IS *2 .m ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. DANIELS, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAIBCOCK & WIL- COX COIVLPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY WATER TUBE BOILER Application filed February 14, 1931. Serial No. 515,663.

This invention relates to water tube boilers, and more particularly to boilers of the marine type characterized by a plurality of horizontally inclined water tubes connected to headers, in clusters, with handholes provided in the headers for each cluster.

An object of the invention is to provide in a water tube boiler associated with a furnace, tubes connected to headers so that substantially equi-spaced paths for combustion gases are formed.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a boiler associated with a furnace, a plurality of water tubes mounted in headers arranged side by side, the tubes being so arranged with respect to the headers and each other that outside adjacent tubes of each header will be spaced with respect to adjacent tubes of the adjoining header to provide equi-spaced paths for combustion gases from the furnace.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of water tubes mounted in clusters in a row of headers, with handholes provided in the headers for each cluster of tubes, and each tube arranged with respect to the header and each other so as to be substantially equi-spaced, yet be removable through a handhole opening.

' A specific object of the invention is to provide a plurality of tubes inounted in clusters in a row of headers, with the outside tubes of each cluster bent and inserted at an angle in their headers so that they provide substantially equi-spaced paths for combustion gases, the tube openings for each outside tube being preferably slightly enlarged to facilitate its removal through the corresponding header.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in this particular art from the description in the specification in connection with the appended drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a side View, in section, of a boiler and its associated furnace illustrative of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view, in section, of a boiler illustrative of a modification of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view, in section, of a tube and header arrangement illustrative of the invention;

Fig. 5 is an end view of a tube and header arrangement Fig. 6 is an end View of a modified tube and header arrangement;

Fig. 7 is a partial plan view of a tube and header arrangement illustrative of the invention.

In that embodiment of the invention which has been chosen for purposes of illustration, in Fig. 1 is shown a steam and water drum 1 connected by downtake nipples 2 to downtake headers 3 to which one end of a plurality of horizontally inclined small diameter water tubes 4 is connected; the other end of the inclined tubes 4 is connected to uptake headers 5 which are connected by steam and water circulators 6 to the steam and water drum 1. To the lower portion of the headers 3 and 5 is connected a bank of larger tubes 7 these tubes are disposed above a furnace 10 and act as a slag screen to the smaller tubes 4.

As best shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7, the small tubes 4 are expanded in the headers in clusters which in this embodiment of the invention as shown in Fig. 6 number fourteen for every handhole 11 in the header.

Because of the thickness of the side walls of the headers and the fact that there is some space between adjacent headers, in boilers prior to this invention the space between adjacent tubes of adjacent headers was always larger than the space between the tubes in the same headers, and by virtue of this spacing a short circuit path was provided for the combustion gases from the furnace, so that the gases of combustion sweptthrough these paths, with the subsequent loss of heat transfer effectiveness.

In the tube and header arrangement contemplated by this invention, the outside tubes in each header are expanded in tube seats in the header, drilled at a slight angle to the face thereof. The angle at which these tubes are mounted is such that the outside tubes in adjacent headers tend to converge at a point outside the headers for a distance depending upon the angle of the tube seats and the wall thickness of the headers; at this point the tubes are bent so that they are parallel for the greater portion of their length, and, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, thus provide substantially equi-spaced aths for the gases of combustion from the urnace.

To facilitate the removal of the bent tubes from the headers through the handhole openings 11, the angled tube seats are made slightly larger than the tube seats normal to the face of the headers. By making these tube seats approximately 5 g larger than the other tube seats, hence 3 g larger than the diameter of the tubes for-the greater portion of their length, these bent tubes, which are expanded in the headers at an angle to the 20 face thereof, may be withdrawn from the header through the handhole opening 11 as readily as the tubes expanded in the headers normal to the face thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 is shown a water tube boiler in which tube clusters 4 are connected in the manner just described in connection with Fig. 1.

In this embodiment of the invention, however, downtake headers 3 are connected to a second row of downtake headers 14 by means of nipples 13. One end of the tubes 7 is expanded in the headers 14, and the other end of the tubes 7 is expanded in the low-- ermost portion of uptake headers 5. The tubes 7 are disposed just above a furnace 10 and are located some distance away from a row of tubes 12 which is disposed just below the main bank of steam generating tubes 4. Nipples 2 and steam and water circulators 6 connect the drum 1 with the downtake and uptake headers to complete the steam and water circulatory system. If deemed desirable, the elongated header structure used with the uptake headers may be used in place of the header and nipple arrangement, or vice versa.

By virtue of this arrangement of tubes 7 and 12, a chamber 19 is provided above the furnace, between rows of steam generating tubes, and this chamber may be used to more thoroughly mix combustion gases so that combustion will take place below the main bank of steam generating tubes 4, or the space may be utilized for mounting a superheater.

A battle has a lateral portion 16 resting upon and supported by a portion of the tubes 7, and an inclined portion 17 thereof extends across a part of the chamber 19 and through the tube clusters 4. A second bafile 18 extends downward from the drum through the tubes 4. This baffling arrangement provides a three-pass boiler in which gases of combustion from the furnace 10 are directed across i the tubes in three passes, as indicated, and

passthrough an outlet 20 to the stack (not shown).

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the

header herein shown is readily adapted to be used in boilers such as described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, but in this modification of the invention the tubes are grouped in rows of three for mounting in the header, so that nine tubes are provided for every handhole space 11.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described in some detail, it is understood that changes, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made within the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined steam generating tubes arranged in side-by-side sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being arranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding vertical uptake and downtake headers of substantially rectangular crosssection, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged with their adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings, outer tubes in each cluster being bent laterally for the major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lanes between adjacent sections, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniform width across said boiler.

2. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined small diameter steam generating tubes arranged in side-by-side sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being ar-' ranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding uptake and downtake headers of substantially rectangular cross-section, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged with their adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings, the tubes in each cluster being arranged in rows extending across said headers, adjacent tubes of corresponding rows in adjacent sections being bent laterally for the major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lane between said sections, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniform width across said boiler.

3. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined steam generating tubes arranged in side-byside sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being arranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding vertical uptake and downtake headers of substantially rectangular cross-section, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged with the adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings. the tubes in each cluster being arranged in horizontal rows extending across said headers, adjacent tubes of corresponding rows in adjacent sections being bent l- "orally for the major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lane between said sections, the tube openings. for said bent tubes being formed with their axes at an angle to the face of the corresponding header, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniorm width across said boiler.

-i-. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined steam generating tubes arranged in side-by-side sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being arranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding vertical uptake and downtake headers of substantially rectangular cross-section, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged with their adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings, the tubes in each cluster being arranged in horizontal rows extending across said headers, adjacent tubes of corresponding rows in adjacent sections being bent laterally for the -major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lane between said sections, the tube openings for said bent tubes being of larger diameter than the tube openings for the remaining tubes and formed with their axes at an angle to the face of the corresponding header, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniform width across said boiler.

5. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined steam generating tubes of relatively small diameter arranged in side-by-side sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being arranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding vertical uptake and downtake headers of sinuous form and of substantially rectangular cross-section, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged with their adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups staggered vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings, the tubes in each cluster being arranged in horizontal rows extending across said headers with the tubes in each row staggered relative to the tubes in an adjacent row and a majority of the tubes in each cluster straight, outer tubes in each cluster being bent laterally for the major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lanes between adjacent sections, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to 1 the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniform width across said boiler.

6. A water tube boiler having a combustion chamber and a bank of horizontally inclined steam generating tubes of relatively small diameter arranged in side-by-side sections above said chamber, the tubes of each section being arranged in clusters and having their ends expanded in corresponding vertical uptake and downtake headers of sinuous form and of substantially rectangular cross-section, the headers at each end of said bank being arranged in a single row with their adjacent walls substantially in contact, each of said headers having a multiplicity of tube openings formed in a wall thereof and arranged in groups staggered vertically of said header, handhole openings formed in the headers at one end of said bank in a Wall opposite said tube openings and shaped and proportioned for the removal therethrough of all of the tubes connected to corresponding groups of tube openings, the tubes in each cluster being arranged in horizontal rows extending across said headers and with more than two tubes in each row, and a majority of the tubes in each cluster being straight, adjacent tubes of corresponding rows in adjacent sections being bent laterally toward one another for the major portion of their lengths to interrupt the lane between said sections, the tube openings for said bent tubes being ofslightly larger diameter than the tube openings for the remaining tubes and formed with their axes at a relatively small angle to the face of the corresponding header, and the tubes in the tube rows containing said bent tubes being spaced substantially uniformly throughout the major portion of their lengths in planes normal to the axes of said headers to provide lanes of substantially uniform width across said boiler.

GEORGE H. DANIELS. 

